Hope's End
Chapter Twenty-Two
Operation: Venificus
-- September 1st, 12:35 AM. Waters of the English Channel. --
Many magically-crafted warships approached the shore of the English Channel in the dead of the night. A thousand Dark Battleships, crafted with magic, stopped and dropped anchor approximately half a mile from the shoreline. Death Eaters lined up on the sides and raised their wands toward shore, where a number of bunkers had been erected. On a Battleship somewhere in the middle of the line of ships, a single Dark Mark shot into the sky. Moments later, all the Death Eaters simultaneously roared, "BREVIS IMPINGO!"
Red flashes of light exploded out of their wands, soared into the air, and sailed toward the shoreline. Moments later, the shoreline exploded in a shower of sand and flame. Red sparks instantly soared into the sky above the bunkers, and Wizards and Witches began streaming out and forming ranks, sword and bow drawn.
"BREVIS IMPINGO!" roared the Death Eaters again. A second volley of red lights crashed into the shoreline. For the next ten minutes, waves of red light crashed and smashed into the sandy beaches and cliffs, destroying everything. The defenders stood unharmed. The lights stopped, and the horizon became dark again, with the exception of the green and silver Dark Mark floating in the sky.
Back on the battleships, Death Eaters began boarding transport ships. The ships were lowered onto the water, and they magically began to glide toward shore. They immediately felt the Anti-Magic Ward as they passed into it, and were not pleased. A Death Eater Commander shouted out.
"Draw your swords! They've negated the magic! REMEMBER YOUR TRAINING!" As soon as the first boats hit shore, the arrows began to fly. Screams of pain erupted all around as Death Eaters were struck and killed or wounded by the hail of arrows. Many Death Eaters rushed into shore, swords drawn. The French also poured out into the beaches, and the clang of swords clashing with each other soon became a common sound.
Clang! Went the sword, wielded by a Death Eater. The French Auror parried it and struck with his own vertical cut. The Death Eater blocked it and slashed at the Auror. The Auror dodged it and sliced out at the Death Eater. The Death Eater span and quickly lopped the Auror's head, and moved on to the next one.
Back on the capital ship, the HLS Basilisk, Voldemort snarled as he heard the sounds of the swords. 'Damn that Ward! Damn it all!' he thought angrily. 'I'm going down there, and TEARING DOWN THAT BLASTED WARD!' he thought furiously, his infamous insane rage beginning to show. Voldemort grabbed a broom and shot off above the shore. One unfortunate loophole in the Ward was that once a spell or anything was cast OUTSIDE the ward, then it would function inside until it lost energy. As such Voldemort floated inside the ward, but unable to cast any spells. He looked around for the Lieutenant or General in charge of this beach. He spotted a Wizard with five medals decorating his chest. Voldemort smirked, took out a throwing knife, and hurled it with amazing accuracy at the officer. The knife buried itself in the officer's head and he fell to the ground, dead. Hundreds of arrows instantly soared toward Voldemort, but he raised his wand and shouted out.
"Wraithus!" Voldemort's body instantly turned into a black vapour and the arrows sped through him. Voldemort cast the counter-spell, and soared back to the ship. Back on ground, the Death Eaters and Aurors alike abandoned their swords and began throwing spells.
"Akern! Potento Mutiplo Stupefy! Peelsotog! Ballano! Diffindo! Electa Maximus!"
One Death Eater promptly screamed in pain as he felt all his bones break, except not. Thirty Death Eaters fell Stunned, another was put to sleep, a large grey ball knocked another unconscience, one Death Eater's chest was split open and blood began to gush as he bled to death, and another was violently fried as a large lightning bolt hit her.
"Expelliarmus! Giahesek! Kitte Imasu! Lugo! Oplo! Ragnos! Stupefy! Flipendo!"
A Death Eater lost his wand, ten stones flying at 825 feet per second struck ten Death Eaters and they went down screaming, an arrow wounded a Death Eater, one screamed as he felt he was being stabbed all over by pins, a large yellow orb repeatedly harassed another, one fell Stunned, and another was knocked back.
"Akan! Abolesco! Anataga Atsuidesu! Stein Skulptur! Akramodium! Novus Incendio!"
One Auror lost all the bones in his arm, another tore another's organs apart, one Auror burst into flames, one turned to solid stone, one ages one thousand years and died of old age, and fourteen other Aurors were burned to a crisp as a huge fireball incinerated them.
"Oxosso Exterebro! Kulde Fryser! Batoack! Sludus Crimcanis! Umbra!"
One Auror promtptly lost all his bones and collapsed, jelly. Another got hit with frostbite, but continued to fight. Another felt as though she was being punched all over, but she too kept on fighting, ignoring the feeling. Another Auror's blood turned to mud and fell to the ground, dying. Another Auror turned black and charred all over. He blinked. Then he turned into ash.
"Ballano! Diffindo! Electa Maximus! Expelliarmus! Fotia Poli! Inconscientus!"
A large grey ball shot out of an Auror's wand and struck a Death Eater, beating him until he fell, dead. A massive cut split open on a Death Eater's chest and bled to death, screaming in pain. A huge bolt of lightning fried seven Death Eaters, two lost their wands, a jet of fire incinerated another, and the last was knocked into unconsciousness.
The battle raged for two hours, and finally came to a climax when Lord Voldemort himself stormed ashore with his elite guard, and simply threw the Killing Curse at everyone who wasn't a Death Eater. With the power of the Dark Elite, and Voldemort himself, the battle was soon over, and they established a beach head.
Miles away, Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter, and the United Coalition prepared to fight off the onslaught of darkness that was threatening to consume Europe and everything in it.